Concussions and Bathtubs
by buurose
Summary: Peter comes back tired from a mission and takes a bath, only to pass out from a head wound in the tub. The Avengers to the rescue! Tags: PETER WHUMP TONY STEVE NATASHA BRUCE HULK IRON MAN SPIDER CAPTAIN AMERICA BLACK WIDOW HURT COMFORT INJURY CONCUSSION
1. Bathtubs

**_[I wrote this entire chapter listening to 'listen before i go' by Billie Eilish; please enjoy!]_**

Peter stared at his hands. His palms faced him as he looked at the cracks and missing skin which laced his nails. He was exhausted.

He turned his hands to look at the broken and bleeding skin which kept his hands feeling rough. Gently he sucked one of the knuckles where the bleeding had finally ceased, cleaning off the fresh blood leaving just the wound exposed and tender.

He could feel two of his fingers had cracked from his battle against Doc Oct; they ached with each pulse from his heart. They were beginning to turn black and blue. Instead of seeking Dr Banner, or even Tony; he simply sat in his room at the Avengers compound. Sat staring at his hands, suit discarded by the end of his bed as he sat in an old tee-shirt of Mr Stark's, and a pair of Captain America's old gym shorts.

It felt like the first time Peter had sat down all Summer. He felt it was the only time he would be able to sit down for the rest of Summer, too. He was exhausted.

He felt it in all of his body. He hadn't showered since two nights ago, there was always something to do. He looked up at his ensuite bathroom and longed at the bath. On shaking legs, he limped his way to the ensuite. With the none-broken hand turned on the hot tap of the bathtub and watched the steam engulf the bathroom. He perched himself on the edge of the tub and poured some bath cream in, vanilla and coconut scented.

Finally turning off the tap and removing his clothes, he slid into the tub. The hot water stung at first as he had barely added any cold, but he finally settled in the heat. Peter shut his eyes for five minutes, enjoying the peace, the quiet. No alarms blared, no one came in; his phone had pinged a few times from texts and notifications, but he had left it on the other side of the room by his clothes. That was okay. If it was Tony he could see his suit was here and get a report from Friday; if it was May she would understand he was just in the tub, and Ned knew his secret, and he knew more than anyone how tired he had been.

Peter frowned at himself, rolling his eyes at how dramatic he felt. 'Exhausted,' he thought, 'the others never complain, so I shouldn't too. I'm an Avenger now...' he thought opening his eyes. Still, as he laid in the tub surrounded by warmth, he couldn't help but feel tired. His head hurt and eyes stung, "Friday, set lights to 40%," he requested the AI who complied. He felt dizzy for a moment and allowed himself to sink deeper into the water, until finally he let himself be completely engulfed.

He shut his eyes and held his breath as he enjoyed this time. 'Is this how foetuses feel?' he thought jokingly. His thoughts turned and twisted replaying the battle he just semi-won; Doc Oct got away, but he prevented him from stealing the high-tech equipment from one of Stark Industries trucks. Tony had thanked him over comms as the billionaire was on his own mission with Natasha and Steve; the trio only getting back ten minutes before him.

He stayed under the water for three minutes contemplating it all before coming out, sucking in air. He rubbed his eyes clear from the milky water, panting lightly as he regained his breath. As Peter opened his eyes, he frowned seeing the water around his body a faded shade of red.

He took his none-broken hand to his head and along his right side there it was, a gash which he hadn't notice bleeding. He frowned, why couldn't he feel it before? No matter the injury he felt the pain of them, he just healed quicker than others. He gazed at his discarded tee and noticed it there again, spots of red along the collar and where he had put it on and off.

Worry came and went, 'It isn't hurting… it's probably fine…' he thought dizzily in the heat. He felt light-headed, blamed it on the bath being so warm. He felt tired, blamed it on patrols. He heard a buzzing in the background; he felt his eyes roll and his head become heavy. He felt himself go under the water, but he felt nothing more until violently he was pulled from his bath. He felt hands on his arms, a towel thrown over him, and someone yelling in his ears; until he finally felt nothing and fell into the calm abyss of unconsciousness.


	2. Concussions

On the other side, however; the buzzing began when Friday attempted to alert him that her scanners were picking up a dip in his vitals which quickly became a red alert for the other Avengers. Tony was the first to burst into Peter's bedroom, calling out his name and charging into the bathroom only to find the youngest Avenger under the water.

"PETER," Tony cried as he ran to the tub and grabbed Spider-Man by his armpit forcing his head above the pink water.

"What the hell," Steve called shocked as he too burst into the bathroom.

Tony looked up with wild, panicked eyes, "I-I don't know! He was just like this under the water, help me get him out."

Banner rushed in as Steve and Tony had Peter lifted and onto the ground, seeing the boy bare Bruce quickly threw a clean towel over him. For a moment Bruce took in all the damage to the kids' body; scars and bruises lacing his body, the gash on his head and the purple to his fingers.

"Peter, open your eyes!" Tony yelled to him unable to control his volume, hands and voice shaking.

In that moment, his eyes twitched responding to the noise until suddenly they stopped, "Friday we need a gurney. Now!" Bruce called to the AI.

"One is already on the way; they will be here in thirty-two seconds, Dr Banner."

"Tony, move."

Cap helped Tony up as the older gentleman stared helplessly at his kid in his awful state, Bruce checking him over. From the moment the gurney arrived, to when Peter was stabilised and comfortable in one of their medical room beds; Tony did not let him get out of sight. Finally, Bruce allowed Steve and Tony into the room, Natasha at Bruce's side as assistant.

"So?" Steve was the first to speak as Tony wandered to Peter's side.

Natasha sat in the armchair in the corner of the room, "one cracked, and one broken finger; some small lacerations on his arms and chest, a small crack on two ribs; and a moderate concussion. We also suctioned the bathwater that was caught in his throat, but his breathing wasn't badly compromised," Natasha explained looking up to Bruce.

"We stapled his head wound and braced the fingers. While we were performing the x-rays, Peter stirred and woke up for a few minutes, a good sign obviously, but we will need to wake him up every hour to be on the safe side. You know how concussions are," Bruce nodded to the others, Steve returned the gesture while Tony simply stared. "I'll take first shift," he frowned at Tony seeing the protest about to happen, "You're all tired from your mission; Tony you can come after a **minimum** four hours of sleep, as goes for the rest of you;" Bruce sat beside Peter, "So I suggest you go and get rest now so you can come back quicker," the doctor ordered.

With some protests Tony was removed and an hour into Bruce's water Peter stirred on his own. "Ow," the teen moaned delicately moving his right hand toward his head.

Bruce gently patted his wrist, "Try not to move this one, Pete, you've broken a finger and cracked the other," the older gentleman explained, "Friday dim the lights to 40%."

Friday obliged much like earlier, Peter slowly blinked his eyes open feeling much more nauseas and dizzy than earlier, "I dn fe'l so g'd," Peter struggled wrapping a hand round his stomach. A basin was bought to his face allowing him to vomit not over himself.

"It's the concussion," Bruce explained slowly rubbing circles on his back. Finally, the vomiting ceased and Peter fell back into his cushioned bed, too tired to stay upright, "Try to get some sleep, we will wake you up every hour just for a few minutes to keep control of the concussion, okay?" Before he had finished his sentence, Peter had succumbed to sleep. Bruce smiled at him before cleaning out the basin and waiting by his side with a book in hand.

Every hour, as Bruce described, he woke Peter. From Peter's perspective things were blurry and puzzled, during the third time Peter had asked for some pain killers for his head but Bruce explained he had already given the safest amount he could thanks to his head injury. It was the fourth hour of being woken up Peter found a new person by his bedside.

"Hey kiddo," Steve smiled, his eyes creased with worry looking down at the young hero, "how are you feeling?"

"Um, I'm okay," he felt embarrassment creep onto his cheeks; he was used to Bruce and Tony taking care of him, as the doctor and the father [not like Peter had ever said that to Tony], but Steve was new. "W-where did Dr Hulk go?" Peter questioned without filter, using the familiar nickname he and Ned had supplied to Banner.

"Dr Hulk?" Steve chuckled, "You really did hit you head," the hundred-plus-year-old man grinned.

Peter flushed harder, "Oh my God, please don't tell him I said that," he winced at his own volume.

Steve rubbed his shoulder securely, a now knowing smile on his face, "Go back to sleep," he instructed seeing the wince.

Peter closed his eyes and rested his left hand on his forehead lightly placing them in his corneas, relieving some tension from his headache, "Um, Steve, what happened earlier?"

Steve shook his head, "Someone'll explain when your head isn't hurting, okay?"

With that comfort Peter finally nodded off. Steve was there the next time he woke. It was five in the morning the next time he was woken, this time by Natasha. She spoke softer than the others, more careful, "How are you feeling?"

Peter thought for a moment, "Crappy," he grinned slightly, "But better than before," he explained sitting more upright.

"That's good," Natasha returned the smile. She bought a small tray with gauze and alcohol wipes on, "I just need to change your bandages," she explained observing the head wound.

Peter turned his head, the headache still present. He always liked hanging out one-on-one with Black Widow, she was a lot more relaxed than he expected, and so, so cool! She had told him a lot of her old missions, how she met Clint; but his favourite is and will always be when Happy and her met and she completely winded him. Reality sunk back in at the sting of alcohol wipes, "Ouch," he wined trying not to pull away.

Nat smirked teasingly, "Come on Spider, don't tell me this hurts worse than receiving the hit?"

"I had adrenaline keeping me going then! All I have this time is an already-bad headache," Peter complained light-heartedly.

"So, how did this happen anyway?" Nat asked eyeing his expression as her hands tenderly worked.

"Well," Peter thought back…


End file.
